#but mostly only hinted at because things didn't go according to plan

[summertimemusician]

Linktober (Shadow) 2023, Day 11

Monsters (Dead Hand)

Summer Stop Giving Reader/PoV Character and the Chain a Hard Time and Trauma Challenge (impossible) /j. But really I'll probably write something lighter for Linktober or Linktober Shadow later to compensate for this one lol. Probably a sequel to this one that has Reader actually having a nice time with the Links for once.

Technically since unfortunately studying for future exam season in like a couple of days has been kicking me in the ribs and thus my time was highly cut and unfortunately I don't have an Ocarina to give me more, this is actually a mix of prompts! The ones in the title, Keese, Wolfos, Wizzrobe, Lizalfos, Redead, and Boss, although they are not the focus here, mostly just mentioned but technically checking out the boxes, maybe next time I'll go more in deep on that (Like the original idea that basically was Reader taming a pet Wolfos as a guard hound that I will not elaborate on at least not this year), instead y'all get this with the boss that gave a lot of people childhood trauma and was never seeing again since because we really don't talk about just why Dead Hands are terrifying much, just that they are, really missed opportunity to use them more in an LU context lol.

As always any relationship between Reader and any of the Chain can be interpreted as romantic or platonic, and Reader is Gender Neutral on Purpose. And First is here because again, this would have been longer if exam season wasn't kicking me in the ribs and I have some really evil ideas involving First, Reader and Time bonding over having trauma of enclosed spaces, but thankfully y'all don't get that today lol, or not, it would be a really fluffy scene so up to y'all if it's a win or a loss.

TW:

Don't think there's anything too heavy-ish? But I'm a horror fan so I'm not someone who can accurately judge that. I'd say graphic descriptions of violence and gore, and being restrained/pinned in place and the entire deal that is the Dead Hand's existing, so please don't read if you're squeamish or uncomfortable. Health is important and specially mental health and I always leave these warnings on Linktober Shadow related prompts or heavier stories, so just a heads up so no one is caught by surprise.

Anyway, enjoy reading!

It was an almost unanimous agreement that no hero liked to pass through a cemetery in Hyrule.

From the restless Gibdo, to the mischievous yet usually cruel Poes and the lost Ghini, to the ever wandering Stalfos and the ghastly agonized Redead and ever determined ghoulish Garo, nothing good ever came from entering in areas where dead things roam. You can't be sure if it's because of the magic in Hyrule, the living force of light and shadow and the divinity coursing through the land, or simply the will of the undead or the consequences of Demise attempting to claim the Triforce, graveyards and desolated fields meant silence, they should be where those who are gone should finally acquire their final catharsis, not to roam endlessly without release, solemn as these places are they are still places for a peaceful end and to be denied such due to the whims of the Shadow... You can think of very few awful fates that can compare.

('Terrible fates, you could say.' The grimly bemused part of your mind whispers, as you walk alongside Time further down into the crypt that you and the Chain had followed the shadow into, silver, prisitne armor briefly blends with old, rusted, bloody gold and you think you hear the rattling of bones in the distance, the draw of a rusted, but still serviceable sword. You shut it away with a snarl as you cut down the Stalfos attempting to ambush Wild from the rear, and it goes down and back into the darkness with a screech alongside the chilling knowleged and the sick cracking of broken bones, not on your watch, never on your watch, you refuse.)

"Of all places why did it have to be a bloody crypt?" Grimaced Warriors, casting a weary glance towards the skulls decorating the walls, their empty sockets empty but silently cutting, as if sneering at the fact you lot had dared disturb the dead, as if it wasn't the Shadow's mere presence making what would otherwise be a place for rest into a possible death trap.

Legend smirked, though you could tell he wasn't anymore pleased from the way he marched through the cold, cracked stone floor, steps flighty and eyes darting around corners, "What, a bit too much for you, soldier boy?"

"No," came the prim answer, although the twitch of the hand near his scabbard as you stepped into an open chamber gave him away, as well as Wind being kept at his side rather than near the wall, "Just don't generally like fighting the undead in closed spaces. It's a recipe for disaster."

"On that I believe we all can agree on." Came Time's voice, cutting through the banter, tense as a drawn bowstring, you knew being back in a crypt wasn't easy for him, with the way his jaw tensed, you both had the same awful memories of a similarly buried, abandoned place where dead things roamed without cease, frantic, hungry for the warmth of the living, "Keep your guard up, and stay close together."

Almost as if on cue came the monsters from the open corridors, you didn't hesitate in drawing your blade to cut through the enemy, keese were easily dispatched by Four and Legend's swords, you spun to slit the throat of a growling Wolfos from Twilight's era going for Sky's back just as he mercilessly chased down the Black Lizalfos, the beast clearly avoiding the glow from the Sword of Evil's Bane. Time's back to yours as you cleared the path for him and blocked the Shadow's exit through the left corridor, it had already proven that it would not matter if you did or not, but you refused to not let it work for survival.

The jolt of magic being used crawling up your spine was your first warning. Like the build up of lightning in a storm, the taste of rust and a feeling like tar  slithers up your throat.

The second was Wild's warning shout as the chamber shook with the grating, chilling, blood curdling howl of the Redeads, Time lunging away from your side to slash the beasts away from Wind and Warriors with all of the fury of a wolf defending it's pack, before you had to throw yourself back, slamming your back against the arch on the right as it caved in, lest you be crushed alongside the Wolfos coming for your neck the second the older hero moved.

You were separated.

You were alone.

A really, really bad spot to be when in Hyrule's catacombs.

"Are you alright?!", Came muffled from the other side of the stones, the hint of an actual wolf's growl and the distinctive Ordonian cadence, Twilight.

"I'm fine! Keep fighting, I'll find my way to you guys!", You yell back, heart racing, trying not to think about what you could find on your way back, you didn't have any bombs on you, it wasn't feasible to use them in a place as old as this, not without risk bringing down the ceiling on you and the Chain. But most catacombs have interconnected hallways, if you moved quickly, you might just avoid finding anything that you won't be able to handle on your own.

You think Twilight replies, but it's muffled by another Redead's yowl, you wince, your muscles lock up and you feel something warm drip from your ears, but thankfully you are not rendered immobile due to the involuntary wall, you swallow your trepidation and get moving.

The further you get away from the fallen stones, the more silent the catacombs extending from the crypt you were dropped in became, shadows twist oddly by the torches upon the wall with only your breathing and the cold, unfeeling remains of the dead to keep you company, the lowly burning flames bringing you no warmth. The corridors blended together in the darkness cast by the faint light, the shades contorting themselves in the crevices of your paranoia the longer you went on with only your own hurried footsteps to make any true sound.

Not one monster had found it's way to you thus far, though, and according to the copy of the map Legend had made the second you had acquired the original from a very unfortunate Wizzrobe from Wild's era. You just needed to pass one more open chamber to find the corridor leading to your boys, You couldn't keep them waiting, who knew how long it would take for the fight to finish if Redead's were involved? And staying still when the Shadow could turn itself intangible was practically begging it to switch it's attention, it usually didn't pay you as much mind as it did the heroes, Time specially (it seemed to hold a grudge against him more than any of your boys, you noted bitterly), but it would occasionally target you if it meant getting a rise from any of the Link's or if it felt you were too  secure in your safety, it was better if you found your way back first to the hunt before you became hunted.

You grit your teeth, by Hylia's dripping gash, you were so. darn. tired. of. being. hunted.

Of watching your friends being led into a wild hunt with no end in sight, dragged by the noose by a remnant that refused to stay dead, you never thought you could burn with so much anger, with the desire to see if fire would scare it sober into ceasing in it's infection of all of Hyrule's Eras. But unfortunately you knew it didn't work like that, so you had to survive, you would survive, because someone had to protect the heroes when the heroes protected everyone else and if no one was going to step up to the job, you'd just have to do it yourself.

Shaking yourself from your thoughts, lest you end up drowning in them, you breath in relief as soon as you come upon the metal door with the symbol of the royal family, faded and rusted with age, there. You just needed to pass through this chamber and the corridor next to it, and you'd be back with Link, all of them, and hopefully out of here. You push it open, grip tightening on your long dagger, almost a sword, good enough to cut and hide. The thick and pungent combination of old, congealed blood, sick and decaying flesh, something like rotten eggs dipped in alcohol and withered flowers hits your nose, making you nauseous but you press on, the chamber is circular and dimly lit, with a long cracked, soft stone from a leak in the walls. You studiously do not look at the far corner of the dungeon or the pillory's and shackles scattered around near the cells,  there's a second door to the other side, as soon as you pass through it you'll be in another corridor.

... It's silent, too quiet. Unease slithers and twists around you like vines, but you can't delay, you won't, so you keep walking-

Until you can't.

Something has grabbed a hold of your leg. You look down, and your blood freezes, spotting a long, sickly, pale arm and a bright crimson, elongated nails, claw-like, digging into your ankle, having dug itself up from the fragile ground.

You don't hesitate, slashing down violently at the offending limb, frantic terror spreads through your blood, you knew what was here. It featured in your nightmares for a long, long time, you knew it still haunted Time's, the limb goes slack as it is severed, and you barely note the way it starts bleeding black and green at the stump, thankful for Four's expert craftsmanship and maintenance hints as you dive to the exit. You don't make it far, it's companion limbs  bursting in front of your path like a snake emerging from the ground, it makes a solid grab for your  arms, one of them grabs you by the scalp, firmly digging as you dodge and weave between, a stabbing pain upon your skull from the indomitable grip of something fueled by fury, twisted magic and rigor mortis and makes you cry out, your slight moment of hesitation allowing two more hands to latch onto your legs and arms, nails slicing through your flesh like easily and digging, tearing like a rabid hunting dog's teeth upon an unfortunate deer, leaving deep gashes upon your arms and ankles, it's not unlike being pinned and held to a torture rack, in hindsight, ironic given just where in the crypt you ended up.

Your hear the ground below shifting below you, a groan carrying through the air, awfully monstrous, coldly human. You struggle harder like a desperate butterfly upon a dissection board, from your peripheral, you see the form of the thing unhurriedly dragging itself over, it uses the sharp and bloody ends of where bone was broken to slice it's hands off to shuffle out of the grave, using it's stubs as support. Long long neck barely supporting it's elongated head, the scent of rot intensifies and you feel like gagging as it settles it's empty, frigid, hungry eye sockets on your bound form; it's broken jaw contorting itself in a mockery of a human smile over rotten gums and exposed teeth, stretching unnaturally and bringing emphasis to it's rotting, bloodied sunken features. From behind it's bloated, putrid shape, barely obscured by the bloodied white cloth and the grotesque vision of the undead you swear the crimson eyes of the shadow, watching you coldly, the hint of a knife sharp, serpentine smile as the sound of wet meat slamming across the ground rings in the chamber.

Fury mixes with your panic as you snarl, trying to twist the dagger in your grip as best as you can to drive it into the arms, pain and blood drips from the open wound but you don't care; you need to get away from the Dead Hand. A monster like that feels no pain when struck for it is not human, not any longer, and you couldn't hope to face an infected one alone, it shuffles over the floor, unhurriedly shuffling like a predator that knows it's prey can't run away, it moans and groans with hunger as it approaches and you have no intention of giving it a meal, you grit your teeth as the nails sink deeply into your shoulders and arms, using your blade to saw through rotting flesh and hopefully break bone with every single inch of strenght you have, the blade is slick in your hand with your own blood and the poison-tar of the Shadow's infection burning through you but you do not mind, can't. You need to get away-

The undead's teeth sink into the hollow of your collarbone, blunt, human teeth that shouldn't have half the strenght it does to rip through flesh, blood and crack bone, and you caterwaul with pain, skin crawling and numbing and set aflame with curses sent from the dark reflection of the hero, darkening, veins blackening, your eardrums vibrate with the force of your own agony and you are sure you could rival a Redead on pitch alone of your tortured howl. Struggling even more ferociously, attempting to disloged it, kick it off, your blade sucessfully slashes through the arm from your reverse grip, pushing away from it with the savegery off a cornered predator you sink your long dagger into the undead's eye sockets, tearing through it's cheek with animal ferocity, it keens high and chilling, you're losing blood quickly and it (for it's not a human, not anymore, you can't feel sympathy for it, won't. You can't hesitate.) knows, for it tries to chomp down onto your vulnerable neck, your arm being the only thing keeping it from biting it out as you growl with pain, although you can't be sure it just won't bite through, it's teeth are bared, the pitch of it's blank eyes locked onto yours in stalemate, you have the advantage of not being weakened by hunger and decay, not sluggish like it but that will not help for long, the clammy being determined to bleed you dry and feast on your corpse and you are drowning drowning drowningDROWNINGWITHWRETCHEDTORMENT MAKE.THE.PAIN.STOP-

A scream of your name, sword calloused hands yank you away from claws and fangs (because nothing with blunt teeth and nails should be able to wound someone so throughly), you waver on your feet, swaying, supported by a warm, strong body and pulled away. A sword slashes the foul being away from you and you go lax, numb with pain.

First, First was supporting you. Keeping you steady, stopping you from falling, snarling at the corpse with a lion's fury, holding you protectively. Time tears by him like a man possessed, frenzied with the look of a man looking at his worst nightmare and growling in denial. The Links, wounded but alive, the Chain had met you halfway.

The last thing you remember before losing conciousness as adrenaline leaves your body and everything goes dark, is wishing that they'll burn it to be sure it's gone for good. It's the kindest thing that can be done for a such a wretched existence.

You'd be okay.

[darin-nidk]

Family dynamic. | Vox's sibling!Reader.

Content: Implicit imposter syndrome, subtle hints of depression. General description of S.Reader's relationship with The Vee's.

A/N: Probably the last thing you'll see of this particular reader unless I get requests for potential relationships with other Hazbin hotel characters.

Frankly, Hell wasn't exactly what you had in mind, if anything, this particular ring of Hell was like Earth with extra steps and fancier titles: people (read: sinners) still got killed, sometimes there was a transactional reason behind, sometimes just because ; consent was also a bit of a myth here too ; politics? Not exactly. Religion? Uh, duh — after all, the fancy titles previously mentioned were: Archangels, Seraphims, Angels, Sinners and Hellborns (was Adam his own category? His title was First Man and, according to some sources, he had self-proclaimed as Dickmaster or the original dick).

The only upside thus far was that your physical form was kind of cool (literally, a humanoid robot so... an android that had to regulate its body temperature to not overheat), no bones ached, no muscles hurt and you couldn't get sick (a virus, maybe...?) plus your cult leader brother was, to no one's surprise, a cult leader! With the power of hypnosis which, in retrospective, was kind of like his gig back on Earth with manipulation skills that had been perfectly crafted and mastered throughout years and years of studying the human psique and emotions.

The TV head was... new. Unexpected, certainly hilarious even if the context was gruesome to an extent. It made sense, same goes with you: the right-hand, the prophet of this newfound god. Although your form was different since you died electrocuted because of a faulty electrical connection.

Ah yes, what is there to do in Hell..? The Radio Demon had gone missing as well as Lilith, part of you heavily believes that those two separate events are, in fact, connected despite the lack of evidence. A hunch though without something to back it up, you kept quiet — after all, you weren't a big mastermind, though you did enjoy chaos and creating a ridiculous amount of back-up plans in case something went terribly wrong. Cautious? Anxious? Oh, yeah. Your stubborn egotistical brother was careless when going through his many power-trips or when his rage made his (seemingly) perfect persona crack, hence why you just had to have ways to ammend any and all mistakes. Problems made you uneasy, utterly sick — gotta fix 'em, gotta have potential solution for every possible scenario no matter how insane they could be. You never know! You have to know, a sense of being capable of choosing, to own something, just about any single aspect of your life just had to be yours to control.

Nonetheless... Hell, huh. What to do? Unlike Vox, your powers were quite limited and served as support for his, rinse and repeat a life on that one. Besides that, you weren't an official Vee member, more like an honorary one — and thanks to you being a charmer, a problem solver (people-pleaser) and overall someone who rather live comfortably, well... You started babysitting looking after Valentino whenever Vox was too busy (read: didn't want to put up with his bullshit) and this lead to uhhh, unwillingly being dragged to his studio. The porn actors loved you, which made Valentino hate you but also love you as well because "motherfuckers are more willing to cooperate when there's una cara bonita como la tuya around these parts" while squeezing your 'cheeks' (screen). Yeah, you didn't get why Vox wanted this mothman carnally, though his voice was podcast material, the accent? Delicious.

Now when it came to the backbone of The Vee's, it was a trickier situation — mostly due to not having an actual reason to interact with Velvette. Sure, you guys exchanged texts like roasting Vox and Valentino, gossip, some blackmail material... Memes, selfies, the very basic. Being physically in the same room was comfortable, pleasant silences while sitting next to each other and showing funny videos from your respective devices ; or sharing private conversations that were hilarious with or without context, that's for sure! Oh and, let's not forget that this fashionista icon and unforgiving social manager will absolutely roast you if you are dressed like last century. Still, she was kind to you and, in return, you behaved the same way — work collegues, or flatmates would be a way to describe how you two got along.

If you like my stories, consider donating to my Ko-Fi! Even cents are plenty of help!

Y si hablas español, 'tonces no seas garca y dame $2 para honrar el billete que no esta en circulación y que ni siquiera es de colección a mi MP .

[prettyinpwn]

What is your opinion on Filbrick Pines?

Oh boy... long story short, my opinion on him is pretty low, not gonna lie. I went into his character a lot in my analysis post on Ford's writing (found here), since Filbrick had a large effect on Stan and Ford's characters, even if only in subtle ways. To summarize my points on Filbrick:

Definitely abusive, in my opinion. I don't think physically, but for sure emotionally and mentally. He's the type of father who provided materially, but otherwise didn't seem very good at it.

Was way too focused on money. Now, I think it's very possible that Filbrick could have a great backstory reason for this. My biggest guess is a life of poverty and wanting to provide better for his family, but the cruel irony is that in seeking wealth, he hurt his family (e.g "Stanley, by "sabotaging" Ford you hurt our whole family, because he was going to make us millions, so I'm gonna throw you out, ignoring the fact that by throwing you out I'm currently hurting the family in the way I'm accusing you of."). He also hurt Ford. The way Filbrick treated Ford was like a Willy Wonka golden ticket. "Oh, you're smart? This college might make you a millionaire? I'm impressed!". He didn't care about what Ford wanted, he cared about what Ford's brains could get him. Case in point: he didn't seem to give a rat's ass about Ford's brains or college dreams until the principal implied it could make money.

Iirc, according to Hirsch, the quote Stan says in Little Gift Shop of Horrors ("Movies are great! You watch the movie, you scare the girl, the girl snuggles up next to you, next thing you know you gotta raise a kid. Your life falls apart. Forget that last part.") was actually something Filbrick used to say. Like DEAR GOD Filbrick said that in front of Stan and Ford? "Hey kids, my life was great until I got your ma knocked up with Shermie, and then my life was pure suck after that.". Like... who... who just says that in front of their kids? Who even THINKS that about their kids? Yikes.

The way Stan and Ford are named. The code at the end of A Tale of Two Stans is played as a joke, but when you think about it, it's... kinda sad. "A STUBBORN TOUGH NEW JERSEY NATIVE, FILBRICK WASN'T TOO CREATIVE, HAVING TWINS WAS NOT HIS PLAN, SO HE JUST SHRUGGED AND NAMED BOTH STAN.". Filbrick did not give a single f*ck. "Oh, I have twins? Eh, I'm too lazy to think about a name, just call 'em practically the same thing.". What father does this?

In the post I linked above, I also hinted at how I thought Bill's manipulations of Ford almost were a mirror echo of Filbrick (even in their character design, it's odd how they both have yellow brick and blue with hats themed designs, he's got the literal word 'brick' in his name, etc). Because when you think about it, what did Ford's father teach him but "you are a puppet to be used by me to get what I want"?

There's a reason Ford and Stan are incredibly broken people, and it all started with Filbrick. He's the one that taught Stan to believe he's worthless and a f*ckup, and the one that taught Ford that he's a tool to be used. So... nah, not a fan of the guy, if I didn't make that obvious already lol. BUT... I will say this, as this is something I did give him credit for in my Ford analysis post: a lot of Ford and Stan's positive qualities are things he passed down to them, namely their protectiveness of family and "toughness". But unlike Filbrick, who manifested that in toxic ways, Stan and Ford took a heavy albatross necklace of generational trauma and turned it around to a positive.

This goes even further when Stan passes the lesson to Dipper. Dipper learning to "fight back"? That's a family lesson that comes from Filbrick, originally, when he signed Stan and Ford up for boxing. Some have criticized the way Stan taught Dipper that lesson, but you can't argue with the end result:

TL;DR: Filbrick mostly sucks, but... like most well-written characters, he does have some gray area. Was he a good father? No. But the gauntlet meat grinder he put Ford and Stan through - worth it or not - made them the tough family protectors they are as adults. I will give him that, at least.

[ibijau]

Sins of the fathers p3 / On AO3

The morning after Jin Ling had that talk with his mother, Jin Ruyi came early to her brother's door to pick up her brother-in-law. She was pretty cheerful about it, even when it turned out that Wen Yuan had failed to wake up at the agreed hour. 

This was all part of Jiang Yanli's plan to help her son-in-law feel more comfortable in his new home. Wen Yuan might have turned down all of Jin Ling's attempts at cordiality, but he hadn't dared be that rude toward his mother-in-law. So it had been decided that from that point forward, Wen Yuan would join Jiang Yanli and the children for breakfast and then spend the day with them. Jin Bai was still young enough that he was in class only half of the day, and the twins's lessons were also fairly short, because the Jin sect currently didn't try hard to educate female disciples. With those three as company, in addition to Jiang Yanli and the baby, Wen Yuan wasn't going to stay shy very long. 

Still, that first morning was a little difficult. Mostly because Jin Ruyi didn't like to wait. She must have been warned to be forgiving with her brother-in-law though, so instead she scolded Jin Ling for not waking his husband. 

“I've tried,” he retorted, rolling his eyes as he often did around her. “You go and see if you can do better!” 

“Of course I can,” Jin Ruyi claimed, confidently walking into Wen Yuan's room. 

Watching her go, Jin Ling almost pitied his husband. Jin Ruyi was an annoying brat with more ego than brain, who hated to lose and didn't care much about being rude. Some people said she was very much like Jin Ling, for all that her twin and her had their mother's gentle face. Jin Ling himself found no resemblance between them. Jin Ruyi was just supremely annoying most of the time, though he couldn't deny they made a good team whenever they were angry at the same thing. 

At the moment, Jin Ruyi being rude and annoying was an asset. She really managed to get Wen Yuan to leave his bed and get ready much faster than Jin Ling could ever have managed. She then dragged him out of the house, and Jin ling didn't see him again until dinner in common with the rest of the family. 

The same thing repeated the next day, and then the one after, until that became the new habit. 

After about a week, Wen Yuan was used enough to this new rhythm that he no longer had to be dragged out of bed. If anything, he was regularly fully dressed before Jin Ling woke up, and waiting for one of the twins to pick him up. Jin Ling took that as a sign that his husband was happy with the new way his days went on. Wen Yuan never confirmed it, but his eager wait for the girls, and the way he finally started putting on some weight, were good hints of his enjoyment. 

There were apparently more overt signs of Wen Yuan's improved happiness, but Jin Ling was not privy to those. Around him his husband remained perfectly silent and closed off, the same he'd always been. But according to Jin Bai and the twins, he was very different with them and Jiang Yanli. 

“He always plays with us when we asks,” Jin Ruyi claimed when Jin Ling caught the twins and Jin Bai one day to interrogate them. “And he laughs at all my jokes.”

Jin Ling nodded. That was fair. Jin Ruyi was annoying, but she could also be pretty funny when she wanted (although never as much as Jin Dongmei, whose subtle remarks could be as dangerous as they were hilarious, especially when she felt like being insolent to their grandfather without him ever appearing to realise it)

“He also laughs at BaiBai's jokes too,” Jin Ruyi added.

Jin Ling raised an eyebrow. His little brother, aged ten, was sweet and adorable and nearly perfect in many ways, but he couldn't tell a joke properly to save his life. He was too much like their father for that. 

“He also likes mom a lot,” Jin Ruyi went on. 

“Everyone likes mom,” Jin Ling immediately retorted. 

“But he liked her even before he met her!” his sister insisted. “His dad had told him about her. Stories about when he was little, and she took care of him. They talk about that a lot. I had no idea mom had so many stories about Wei Wuxian!”

Jin Dongmei nodded quietly when Jin Ling looked at her for confirmation. Jin Ruyi was known to sometimes exaggerate her stories, but Jin Dongmei was usually a trustworthy source, unless she felt like supporting her sister’s boasts for a laugh.

“It must be a shock for him to learn that the Yiling Patriarch used to be a funny kid,” Jin Ling said. 

Unlike his sisters, he’d heard many stories about Wei Wuxian when he was younger. At the time, there had still been hope that Yiling might turn into a normal sect. Even if Wei Wuxian had been unable to come to Jin Ling's hundred day celebration for reasons unknown to him, in secret good relationships had been maintained for a while. But a couple years after the twins were born, the Burial Mounds had stopped all communication with the rest of the world. Everyone there might as well have been dead, except for Wei Wuxian and his Ghost General going into town sometimes to exact violence onto men who had claimed links to the Yiling sect to terrorise ordinary folks. After that, Jiang Yanli and Jiang Cheng had stopped sharing stories about their childhood friend, so the twins and Jin Bai mostly knew Wei Wuxian as a boogeyman of sorts, the same as every other children.

“No, he’s never too surprised,” Jin Ruyi replied. “He said the Yiling Patriarch is still kind of like that, and still likes to laugh and joke.”

Again Jin Ling turned to Jin Dongmei, who nodded solemnly.

“He really said that,” she confirmed, before pouting pensively. “He said when he was little, one time his father buried him and told him he’d grow like a radish if he was watered. But then… he stopped talking for a while, and he looked sad.” She paused, looking concerned. “I think he misses home.”

“Why would he miss home?” Jin Ruyi scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Here we have all the good food he can want, and pretty silk clothes, and we have flowers, and birds… Ge, he was so excited when we showed him my birds! He said birds don’t sing like that in Yiling. If you’re a good husband, you should get him some birds, it’ll make him happy for sure!”

The twins had received a pair of birds from Nie Huaisang when they’d turned seven. Jin Dongmei hadn’t cared too much, but Jin Ruyi was obsessed with them and had obtained more in the years since. It was her opinion that everyone should have birds, so Jin Ling never listened when she suggested that. He was more of a dog person anyway, and didn’t see the point of pets that did nothing except sit in a cage all day. Still, he was willing to reconsider, if it could improve his marital life. He made a note to ask his mother. If she also thought it might make his husband dislike him less, then Jin Ling would spend all of his allowance on really nice birds.

He’d never have admitted it, not even under torture, but it was starting to annoy him that Wen Yuan was apparently opening up to everyone in the family except his own husband. Well, his own husband and of course Jin Guangshan and his wife, but nobody who joined the family was ever expected to like them, anyway. And maybe Wen Yuan was not really warming up to Jin Zixuan either, come to think of it. But he was getting on really well with his mother-in-law and Jin Ling’s siblings, and it was so frustrating.

Jin Ling knew Wen Yuan and him didn’t need to like each other. His grandparents had ensured he knew that much about married life. But since Wen Yuan and him lived together and would continue living together for years to come, he thought it’d be more comfortable if they could get along. His grandparents’ example had also taught him how unpleasant the alternative could be.

So Jin Ling tried. He did! He made sure to ask Wen Yuan about his plans in the morning, and asked him about his day in the evening. When they ate together, Jin Ling tried his best to notice which dishes Wen Yuan liked best, and he’d make a show of eating those first, so his husband knew these weren’t poisoned. Nothing worked, though. Wen Yuan never replied to his questions, and if he noticed what pain Jin Ling took to eat things he personally sometimes hated, all for his sake, he never thought that was worth even a ‘thank you’.

It was quickly becoming exhausting, and more than a little frustrating. There were evenings when Jin Ling wanted to shout at that cold husband he was stuck with, especially on days when Jin Chan had been particularly nasty. Or if he’d seen Wen Yuan smile at his siblings, his face so bright for a moment that he became really pretty, only to turn to ice at the sight of him. Sometimes Jin Ling felt like he might explode, except he wasn’t allowed to be angry like that. His mother had said she was proud of him for the way he’d dealt with everything. He wanted her to remain proud of him. He didn’t think she’d really stop loving him if he disappointed her, but he also didn’t want to risk it.

After all…

It was a very stupid thing to worry about. But one day, about a month after Jiang Yanli had started taking active interest in her new son-in-law, Jing Ling had overheard his cousin and some other boys talking in the gardens.

At that moment, he’d been crouched behind a bush, looking for some small wild flowers that occasionally grew around. The disciples in charge of the gardens would destroy them on sight, but Jin Dongmei found them pretty, so Jin Ling sometimes collected them for her, so she could replant them somewhere hidden. When he’d heard people coming that way, Jin Ling had been worried they’d seen him and mock him for doing something so silly and he'd tried to stay hidden to avoid explaining. But when he heard their conversation, he froze entirely.

“I hear she's sleeping with him, you know,” one boy was saying, an older teenager who had poor cultivation but rich parents. There were more than a few of those in the sect. ”Since Wen Yuan is the son of her first love!” 

Jin Ling almost revealed himself by laughing. It wasn't the first time people accused his mother of once loving Wei Wuxian. He’d had that thrown at his face since before he could understand the insult. Whether that was true or not, he knew for a fact she would never betray the husband she had now, so he’d learned to ignore it. And as for having that sort of relationship with Wen Yuan… how could she, when the twins and Jin Bai were always around?

“No, you've got it wrong and it's worse than that,” Jin Chan claimed, and Jin Ling grimaced. Of course if someone was trying to badmouth his mother, his cousin was first in line. “He's not her lover. He's the son she secretly had with Wei Wuxian, before her marriage. Why else would she care so much about his education? He's her true first born… And she seems to like him more than the official one, not that I blame her. Even that half ghost kid is less of a pain in the ass than Jin Rulan!”

The boys started laughing as they passed by the bush where Jin Ling hid. he almost jumped in the middle of them to beat them up. His mother wouldn't…she hadn't! She would never! And even if she had, only the worst sort of monster would push one of their children to marry a half sibling!

Even if it was the only way to have him near, even if… 

Anyway, Wen Yuan didn't look anything like Jiang Yanli, or Jin Ling, or any of Jin Ling's siblings, not even his youngest brother Jin Hui, a baby who everyone said took so much from the Jiang side. Jin Chan had to be blind if he couldn't see that. Or maybe he saw and didn't care, as long as the story made his friends laugh, as long as it made Jin Ling sound stupid.

And it wasn’t true either that Jiang Yanli liked Wen Yuan better than her eldest son. It couldn’t be true. Even if she barely had any time for him these days, hadn’t really had time for him in a long while, with four younger kids to raise and all the duties of a sect leader’s daughter-in-law. Even if she had made that time for Wen Yuan, a stranger.

Even if…

She couldn’t…

Long after his cousin and the others had walked away, Jin Ling had stayed crouched by that bush, with crushed little pale flowers in his hands. His eyes had burned from trying not to cry.

He hadn’t bothered asking Wen Yuan about his day that night.

Why should he keep trying anyway, when the other party thought he wasn’t worth any effort?

[evilkitten3]

Hey, thanks for the reply! Also sorry for using comments instead of reblogging, I own only a blog with goofy fancomics and I don't want to mix plot discussions into it. I hope you don't mind. If you want, you can cite this whole reply in another post, but I'm ok with anything.

When it comes to narrator reliability, I go for "reliable unless proven otherwise" approach. I agree here, that picking Obito's statements was not the best way to prove things because he had been proved to talk nonsense before. On the other hand, with how few glimpses of Madara's PoV we have, they are consistent with Hashirama's tale except for VoTE fight where Madara intentionally tricked Hashirama about his goals and the outcome. So I'm going to consider Hashi mostly reliable, also because his account is the last one we get, so if Kishimoto planned it to be false, not showing Madara's contradicting PoV (or at least hinting at it, which we don't get either) would be plain bad writing (still doesn't give 100% certainty, but I'd take this over the "God of the gaps" approach).

Even if we don't consider the info on Izuna's dying words true, Hashirama says that Madara had claimed that Izuna had been killed by Senju (also states it as a reason for not being able to trust Senju enough to make a truce), and Madara later confirms that Izuna had been in fact killed by Tobirama (the "Tobirama pin cushion" scene in War Arc). Also, we were never given an explanation for Uchihas turning their backs on Madara other than

prolonging the war

Madara allegedly stealing Izuna's eyes. Both these things trace back to Izuna's death. One can try to give other reasons, but this would be entering headcanon territory at this point, so something that the reader wants to be true rather than something that the reader has actually been given.

As for Tobirama, he plays a way bigger role in his and Madara's paranoia than Madara, and his prejudice is largely ungrounded (however understandable because of his own traumas), but here are some things Madara did that could rile him up:

refusing truce for so long, stemming from Izuna's death (according to Hashirama)

pulling off the whole "it's either me or him" stuff twice (first one is when Tobirama calls Madara a lunatic, so this had started before the founding of Konoha): this also fits thematically with Izuna's death, because having no living brothers left would have put Hashirama and Madara in the same spot

attempting to nuke Konoha with Kurama (even if we assume that Madara didn't want to do it, he intentionally made this impression to lure out Hashirama, so Tobirama can't be blamed for believing it) which had been partially caused by Uchihas rejecting Madara which had been caused by… etc. Tobirama explicitly says that his persecution of Uchihas was to avoid the rise of another Madara, but this is Tobirama we are speaking of, so take this with a grain of salt. Also, through grooming Obito, Madara played a significant indirect role in Uchiha massacre, but I wouldn't necessarily consider it intentional on his side (we can't tell to what extent Obito was guided by "Madara's will"). So in the end, his actions do bear characteristics of a self-fulfilling prophecy, although I admit that it's debatable how much Uchiha opression could have been avoided without Madara fueling every bad stereotype, because the prejudice didn't start with him. No Obito and no Kurama attack could have at least remove a convenient pretext for the massacre from the story, but it's absolutely possible that Konoha elders would have found another one.

I'm not saying all of this to prove that Madara wouldn't have pursued IT with Izuna alive (in fact, it would be interesting to see BZ sway Madara without killing Izuna). My point is that there are too many factors that more or less directly trace back to Izuna's death to confidently state the opposite.

entirely fair! and don't worry, plenty of people prefer commenting for various reasons; no offense taken

honestly, i tend to be more or less the same, although i actually think hashirama's story was probably pretty solid; he doesn't try at all to make claims for the stuff he wasn't there for. he doesn't even say "madara was definitely standing outside the window" he says "tobirama looked out the window and i found a leaf that looked like the one madara looked at the village through"

having said that, from what i remember, at some point kishimoto did end up pressed for time, and that seriously affected the quality of his work (and... let's be honest, the war arc was never naruto's best writing. the war arc wishes it had what the wave arc had)

i think the reason we never heard hashirama's take on why madara's clan distanced itself from him is bc hashirama can't really,,,, comprehend that? like madara explicitly says "no one in my family likes me :(" and hashirama goes "i don't believe that" like he has any way of knowing XD

personally, i'm fairly certain that tobirama killed izuna, and i have no reason to think otherwise (i guess it's possible that black zetsu personally snuck an infection into his wound somehow just to make sure he kicked it and madara got his eyes, but like you said that'd just be headcanon territory, and also it kinda doesn't matter since neither madara nor hashirama would have any way of knowing that, so neither would we)

frankly i personally like the idea that tobirama was just scared shitless of madara, but it's also possible that he held a grudge over the whole "kill u or ur bro" thing. probably not the other stuff tbh, since tobirama never seemed all that invested in the idea of a village before it was founded (probably just. didn't think it could happen), and madara trying to nuke the village didn't happen until after he'd left, so while it may have affected tobirama's relationship with the other uchiha, it didn't really affect his relationship with madara.

obito's role in the massacre was,,,, really badly handled tbh. and also part of why i suspect that the original concept of "tobi" (from a meta perspective) was meant to be madara's ghost possessing obito's mostly dead corpse. madara had a reason to resent the uchiha clan (although i don't think the character we meet in the war arc would've done that, even if the character we met after tobi's "reveal" might have), but obito never really got one. there were fan theories, but not a lot of solid canon evidence. it might've happened, since both obito and madara were justifying everything they did with "well they'll all be fine when the infinite tsukuyomi kicks in, so whatever"

if you keep izuna alive and don't remove black zetsu from the equation, then it's less of a "would madara still do this" question and more of a "how long until black zetsu manages to cause izuna's death and lead madara to do this" question. zetsu needed madara to get the eternal mangekyou sharingan, after all. if it was possible to do that while keeping izuna alive then that'd certainly be interesting, but it's not something zetsu would particularly care to pursue, especially when izuna dying makes it much more likely that madara will take his eyes. but black zetsu is black zetsu, so i'm sure it could figure something out.

if you take out black zetsu entirely, then it's hard to say if madara would've come up with the eye of the moon plan on his own, but i do still think he would've seen the village as a failure and left in the end. like you said, it's hard to say for sure, though.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

Just finished episode 6 of School Spirits & I have so many thoughts! I really liked this episode, it may be my favorite one yet! I'm going to place my thoughts below a cut, because they get very long.

Okay, the first thing I want to go over is Claire's story, because (assuming it's all true, which rn I am) it answers (mostly) a lot of questions. According to Claire- Mr. Anderson stole the money and she found out about it. She used this information to blackmail Mr. Anderson into giving her straight As. Claire & Mr. Anderson received the blackmail video discussing everything. They think Maddie sent the video. Claire stole Maddie's phone to try to delete the video, but then couldn't get into it and gave the phone to Mr. Anderson, who destroyed it. At some point, Mr. Anderson paid off "Maddie" at Claire's suggestion. They (or at least Claire) presumably think that Maddie is possibly still out there somewhere with the blackmail and money.

Here are a couple of questions/assumptions I have about this timeline-

Why did Claire replace Maddie's phone with a different one at all? Surely the first time Maddie looks at that phone & it doesn't have any of her stuff on it, she's going to know it wasn't hers. Wouldn't it be less suspicious (from Claire's POV where she thinks Maddie is blackmailing her) for her phone to just be missing in general? She could believe that she just lost her phone, but if someone replaced her phone, that would immediately be weird/suspicious to her. What exactly was the timing of this? Claire had to have stolen Maddie's phone before Xavier did, since he ended up with the replacement. Did she literally buy a phone just to switch with Maddie's for a short period of time? Or did she just realize she couldn't get into Maddie's phone, gave it to Anderson to destroy, and then bought a replacement? Honestly, I think maybe this plot point is a little muddy and always will be. I think we're supposed to believe that Claire switched the phones (still don't get why she bothered to do that, like I would 1,000% be less confused/suspicious if my phone was just missing for a couple hours than if I suddenly had a phone that looked like my phone, but had none of my settings/data/etc.) when she stole Maddie's and was intending to switch them back, but then Xavier stole the replacement phone and Maddie disappeared.

So, obviously we know that Maddie didn't take the video or get any money from Mr. Anderson. The most likely suspect for that, I think, is still Nicole. She's obviously hiding something (was she burying stuff in the woods, or digging stuff up? Either way, she has something to hide and they definitely hinted at that in episode 5, but it seems whatever it is must be pretty serious or she wouldn't be digging a hole in the woods in her homecoming dress in the middle of the night) and she could be planning to use the blackmail money for college. The question is, did she kill Maddie, or did she just get Maddie killed by pretending to be her and getting mixed up in all this? Perhaps Nicole's hope that Maddie is still alive out there somewhere is because she knows if something happened to Maddie over the money/blackmail, it's her fault.

While we're on the topic of Nicole, it seems very odd to me that she went to Mrs. Nears house alone when Mrs. Nears thought someone was poking around. (Also weird that Simon wasn't worried about her doing that, since he knows for sure that Maddie isn't the one leaving her backpack places, liking social media posts, etc. and presumably her murderer is doing that stuff, but I think this whole thing might just be an oversight). The only two explanations for this behavior from Nicole's POV, imo, is that she really thinks Maddie is alive & therefore didn't feel threatened by it, or she killed Maddie and isn't worried about getting murdered because the murderer is her. But those are complete opposite reasons, so not that helpful.

We know that whoever was at Mrs. Nears (assuming there really was someone there, but I am going to assume that because it seems really unfair to the audience to include that scene and then just be like "nvm this was just an accident") can't be Nicole, Simon, Xavier, Claire, etc. which leaves a pretty short list. I think it's notable that Ms. Fields didn't appear to be chaperoning homecoming (if anyone spotted her there, lmk. I didn't.) and is one of the only characters not accounted for during this time.

Here is a big question I have that they may have answered in the show (if any of you know the answer, please tell me) and I missed it at the time & haven't gone back to look for it yet. Do we know if the police ever found the money that was stolen by Mr. Anderson? When Simon initially accused him, they searched his room and said there was no money in the wall. Did they find it? Or is it still missing? If it's still missing, I have a couple of theories-

Nicole is the murderer. She took the video and blackmailed Claire & Mr. Anderson with it. I don't know if she always intended to pose as Maddie, or if that was solely just a bad assumption made by Mr. Anderson and Claire (we don't know why they thought it was Maddie, do we?), or even if that was something she came up with later. She needs the money for college/her applications/portfolio. She doesn't want to be left behind when Simon & Maddie go to Chicago, but she doesn't have the financial means to go with them unless she gets a scholarship from her portfolio, or she has to make a down payment for loans or something. Idk. She needs the money. She and Maddie end up in a confrontation about this, where Nicole kills Maddie (not premeditated, but out of fear/anger/etc.) and has been hiding/trying to cover up everything since. Nicole planted the boot prints, ticket, backpack, etc. and disposed of the murder weapon. She kept Maddie's necklace due to guilt and we will see it again. She is burying the clothes she wore when she killed Maddie because they have blood evidence on them. She may have also stolen the money from Mr. Anderson's walls before the cops searched the room. Maddie can't remember her death because it was so traumatizing to be murdered by one of her best friends. However this doesn't explain the situation with the insta photo (unless she was staging it, but that's kinda iffy, considering she didn't really have an audience). It also doesn't explain why she wouldn't have gotten rid of all the evidence along with Maddie's body in first place (unless what she is doing at the end of episode 6 is burying the second round of money she stole from Mr. Anderson's classroom). She also could not be person who Mrs. Nears heard in episode 6, since we know she was at the dance. This theory definitely leaves some loose threads.

Nicole took the video and blackmailed Claire & Mr. Anderson with it. All of her motivation, etc. that I posed in the last theory still applies here. She needs money for college. However, in this theory, Nicole did not kill Maddie. She may still have the necklace (someone does. it's somewhere). Maybe she stole it before Maddie's death to use as proof to Mr. Anderson & Claire in some way that Maddie was the blackmailer, but then Maddie disappeared? Maybe she doesn't have it. Nicole believes that Maddie may still be alive, and she is clinging to hope that she is, because if she's not, Nicole may be the reason she was murdered. She hasn't spoken up because she has the money she extorted from Mr. Anderson. Perhaps she is burying the money in the woods, or some other evidence that she feels is incriminating to her, now that it appears Maddie may be dead. She didn't kill Maddie, but she knows she might be responsible for whatever happened to her and she's still trying to cover up her crimes. In this theory, Ms. Fields was in on the money scheme with Mr. Anderson (maybe not initially, but they share a wall, so she could just as easily have had access to the money stash as he did. Maybe she found it and cut a deal with him, maybe they were in it together from the beginning, doesn't really matter for the purposes of this theory) and so she is aware that Claire & Anderson think Maddie is the one blackmailing them. She confronts Maddie, things get out of hand, she kills/injures her and removes her body through the tunnels. She doesn't tell Anderson about this (and Claire doesn't know about her involvement at all) and instead, removes the rest of the money from the walls before the cops search the building, keeping it for herself. She planted the evidence of Maddie still being alive and is the one in who was at Mrs. Nears'. However, this theory doesn't provide an explanation for why Maddie can't remember her death (she could be alive somewhere, don't love that concept, but it's possible), since she doesn't seem that close to Ms. Fields. This also doesn't totally explain the motive for killing Maddie, like yes, it would be about the money/blackmail. Maybe Ms. Fields thought Maddie knew that she was also involved?? I don't know. I will admit, it's a little thin.

So those are my two big theories atm. They both have some holes, I am very aware of that.

Some other thoughts about the episode-

I'm basically ignoring the Mr. South thing because it feels like such a red herring.

What was Rhonda doing in the fallout shelter??? Whatever is going on there feels like possible story set up for season 2.

no extra ghosts this episode (just Rhonda, Charley, & Wally) so I kinda expect we might get more from them in episode 7.

"part boy, part golden retriever" honestly someone just protect Wally, pls.

so happy Charley got some closure in this ep! <3

I know I keep saying it, but where tf is Maddie's necklace???

[kimium]

Ugh i'm in love with your fic singing in the rain, i'm assuming the point of it was to just set a scene and let it hang there but i figured id ask if you had planned anything out as to how the plot would have developed had it continued? Stuff like if owain would have staged a third accidental meet up or if they genuinely would have run into each other again, or if theyd end up getting involved romantically before owain's identity was revealed or just how that reveal would go in the first place. Of course if you haven't thought about these things i understand and it's just props to you as a writer that your story got my mind racing like this so thank you regardless!

(They are referring to this fic in case you want to read it.)

Hello, Anon! Thank you so much for this ask! I'm so excited to answer this!!! I'm also so happy to hear you love the fic! You are right that I wrote it mostly to set a scene and didn't have any plans for it to continue. However, I do have a few thoughts I'd love to share.

-Owain would have 100% tried to stage another meet up with Leo and Niles. There is simply no other option they have. They need a lead in their case. Leo and Niles are that lead. So, even if Owain didn't want to do it, he'd be forced to be Severa and Inigo. "It's the easiest option!" they'd cry and Owain would have no choice.

-That being said, just because Owain is asked to stage a meet up doesn't mean it would go according to plan. I'd probably switch things up and have Owain genuinely meet them accidentally because that would subvert our expectations (and Owain's).

-I would, without a doubt, 100% have Owain become involved with Leo and Niles romantically BEFORE his identity is revealed. I'm too in love with dramatic reveals and especially ones that cause tension. Now, there are two camps to how I'd want this to go.

Option One: It's revealed completely out of Owain's hands (meaning someone on the opposing side, maybe Iago) revealing Owain's secret to Leo and Niles while Owain cannot stop them.

Option Two: Owain comes clean on his own accord and just tells Leo and Niles, probably when he feels their romance isn't a fling or one time thing anymore.

Regardless of way, tension would happen. Leo and Niles would feel betrayed by Owain and wonder if he was stringing them along only for information, does he really love them, etc.

-I'd also have a dramatic reveal to Owain's powers. I hinted that he has supernatural healing (he does) but what else does he have? I don't know. I'd probably keep everything in the realm of healing magic so nothing cool and "flashy" as Owain would put it. But his views on reality are skewed towards "if it isn't seen in a Super Sentai then it's not cool".

-I might have found a way to incorporate Camilla/Severa and Xanlow because I'm so trash for those ships. If not, it would be fine, but those options are always present when I write Trio and Nohrian Royals.

-My plan was to obviously bring in Mikoto and Anankos somehow into the story. How and to what capacity, I do not remember. All I know is I wanted to write the Hoshido royals too.

-Corrin would still be in Nohr and I planned for them (and the Nohrian Royals) to know nothing about Corrin's past. They're all victims in Garon's tyranny to certain degrees so it wasn't as though the Nohrian royals were doing bad things.

And that's about all my small thoughts to this fic. Again, I am so happy that you enjoy this story and the elements in it. Thank you again for sending this ask! I had a lot of fun revisting this story and thinking about the ideas I had for the AU!

[frazzledsoul]

Going to go through some stuff I saw in the tags because I love to ramble, obviously.

Post AYITL endgame being Logan and Rory co-parenting and Jess is endgame. I don't see Logan as a villain, I believe he and Rory are capable of amicably co-parenting, and it's probably in his best interest to leave the dynastic plan behind and see what he can do on his own. Also, just because Christopher is a loser who is unable to develop a relationship with his child without the child's mother holding his hand doesn't mean everyone has to be that way. In my head, the triangle does rage for a few years before Rory ends up with Jess, but honestly she's got a lot of maturing to do before I would want her with him anyway. I also see a lot of appeal in Logan stepping up and so Jess is a bonus dad and another supportive figure in spawn's life, not necessarily someone who has to fulfill all parental duties. So anyway, that is how it worked out according to me.

Why did AYITL happen? Well, a lot of it was because of an entertainment writer named Michael Ausiello, who worked for TV Guide and then started the website TV Line. He was obsessed with ASP and Lauren Graham, constantly touted ASP's genius, and went on a one-man campaign for years on how ASP had to return and give the "final four words" of the show because Rory leaving for a job with the Obama campaign wasn't a fitting enough ending for her. The only real ending was ASP's ending and the S7 finale simply was not good enough. Anyway, he talked about this for years and years and after the revival he pretty much shut up about it, even though the possibility of a second revival someday drives a lot of clickbait media over the past few years.

So in conclusion, AYITL exists so that ASP could write an ending where Rory's professional dreams and aspirations are pretty much obliterated so she can end up in the same position her mother was at sixteen. Yay?

Zach being an undervalued husband. Okay, everyone knows I can't stand Dave. Or, more to the point, Dave is fine, but I can't stand the way people deify him. Dave and Lane had a fairly shallow relationship that mostly revolved around them manipulating her mother so he could take her on a SINGLE date. They seemed to enjoy these shenanigans, but I'm not really sure it even qualifies as a real relationship. Oh, and the show definitely hints that she scared him away when she told him her mother thought they might get married one day. Does that sound like a guy who would go along with Lane's desire to stay celibate or be willing to get married as young as she did? Zach did fuck up in season 6, but he was accepting of Lane's more traditional values, tried to honestly get to know her mother instead of tricking her, and was a supportive husband and father. He dealt with actual adult challenges: Dave did not. Therefore, Team Zach.

Oh, and Rory being a hypocrite about Logan's cheating. Do not get me started on this one. First of all, he didn't cheat: he slept with other girls once they had broken up, but he was not unfaithful to her once they were actually in a relationship. It was the responsibility of both of them to clarify when their relationship ended and neither of them actually did that, but he did not appear to move on until he had broken up with Rory via his sister. Obviously he should have picked up the phone and TALKED TO HER, but it isn't cheating if he broke things off first. Furthermore, Rory has no ground to stand on to wail that he moved on too fast given that she had her tongue down another guy's throat within 12 hours of breaking up with Dean the first two times. She's also cheated quite unambiguously twice before this happens and then she goes on to not only cheat on Logan again but also to manipulate Jess into it when she knew he did not want to be involved in this shit. So it only counts when it happens to her, I guess?

Of course, Logan doesn't know any of this. As far as he knows, she's a fairly naive, inexperienced girl who has slept around far less than he has. This is true, but the experience that she does have involved quite a bit of infidelity, and because Logan doesn't know this Rory can easily pretend to be the martyr who is too moral to do all this dastardly cheating. In other words, she acts like a hypocrite because she knows she can.

[egg-emperor]

Funny thing about "the lack of Eggman makes him seem like a lesser evil" thing is that according to Ian, he views Eggman as a villain to not be used too often for the exact opposite reason: to make him seem more important and make it seem like more of a big deal when he does show up

Oh no, I wasn't saying that it's the lack of Eggman that inherently makes him seem to be portrayed as a lesser evil to readers, though it does make him come off as a way less important side character that just pops in and out and can make him seem like less of an important and dangerous threat than he really is. But I meant the lack of Eggman was harmful when other villains were constantly dunking on him when he wasn't there to prove them wrong for so long, to the point that people agreed and saw him as inferior and too incompetent to have solid plans and it harmed the way people see his character.

Then separately, people saw him as lesser evil because the story wouldn't let the rushed concept of Tinker that fueled OOC theories and misconceptions go with the constant reminders and the way they included the father and son dynamic between Metal and Eggman from Archie (that isn't canon in the games at all) made people think he's nicer than Starline's gaslighting of Surge and Kit, even though Eggman was gaslighting Shadow in ShtH 2005 and hasn't been kind to his creations and lackeys either, in the games that this comic is meant to take place after.

So with that, people were either seeing Eggman as inferior and incompetent to the other villains, as a better and nicer guy than Starline, or both at once. Both were as equally harmful misconceptions about his character that downplays him, fails to give credit where it's due, and try to make him look like something he's not.

If Flynn thinks that then he should know that having other characters dunk on Eggman while he isn't around to defend himself and the whole Tinker thing keeps being brought up which people think implies a genuine side like that within Eggman on top of that, (which I know Stanley was writing with all the Belle stuff, not him but it was also going on in the same period of Eggman hardly being involved for months on end) is not the way to build up an event that's a big deal and makes Eggman get taken seriously and be given the credit he deserves, certainly not for that long.

And I think what Eggman's doing can feel like a big deal regardless of how long it takes, as long as it's handled and written right, it shouldn't have to be through how long it takes to get there. But if they wanted to do it this way then they could've at least had a slow build up with hints here and there or just like anything else instead of Eggman just looking barely important when he's tossed aside, popping in and out like a side character or being used as filler between bigger more important arcs, and mostly only brought up as Tinker for a while to the point people forgot how evil and villainous the man actually is.

I think the waiting thing could've worked as it did add some more impact and make it even more cathartic and satisfying to finally see Eggman finally take the stage and show Starline what he's made of after all the shit he was talking about him but it certainly didn't need to be dragged on for so long, to the point that it seemed like Eggman vs Starline was going to happen back in December 2020 but only just happened now. Because while it added some more satisfaction in the end, it was still harmful to his character in the way that it made people view Eggman in the long wait for them to finally be proven wrong.

[impala1967dwinchester]

Sam Winchester: it's cold outside

Pairing: Sam W. x Fem!Reader

Pov: Sam

Warnings: Fluff, cuteness, Christmas themes, snowing outside, comfy spots,

Summary: Opening Christmas gifts. AU! Sam and Y/n realize they both got each other the same gifts. They also watch the snowfall. maybe a proposal

Word Count: 2k

A/N: This is the second to the last writing challenge I have to complete. I'm so happy and sad that this challenge is almost over.

Square: Fluffy Jumpers

Sam Winchester Master List

Main Master list

Taglist: @sweetdetectivequeen @band--psycho @wonderfulworldofwinchester

The snow outside was starting to cover the porch. it was just barely six am, rolling over I grabbed y/n. she moaned slightly into me as I shifted her into my grasp. Y/n felt so warm around my arms she eventually got comfortable around my grasp.

Seven am the digital clock said, the sun was just baby peeking over the horizon yet. This was the first winter, the first Christmas that Y/n and I would be spending together fully alone. So in technical terms, this is our third Christmas together.

She moaned again as she shifted in my arms the morning sun just not bright enough to fully wake her from her dreams, or even her sleep. slipping from her grasp I snuck from our bed and down stairs.

Having hidden a few presents in the closet away from sneaking eye, such as Y/n. I had noticed the last two years Y/n always no matter what has to sneak a peak.

This year I most definitely did not need y/n snooping around my gifts. Bringing them in from the closet I tried my hardest to place the gifts in empty spots under the Christmas tree.

After doing so, I got to work on breakfast. Seeing as I was the better cook between the two of us. I made hot chocolate and coffee because Y/n was mostly going to sleep till dawn I needed something to wake her up even it was Christmas morning. I turned on Christmas music just something low, but sweet enough to in have in the background.

You know what's funny to me, as a child as kids who believe in a magical person who deliveries present. I remember my older brother Dean beating me at waking up every single Christmas morning. My mother and father would come in hours later and tell us that Santa had come. Dean would beat me down the stairs and always had so much energy, but our parents never seemed against it.

It's funny the little memories you hold on to even twenty-plus years later. The deal between Y/n and I was so. The first year we would visit her family up in Utah and the following year we could visit mine in Kansas.

Eight am and Y/n is still not awake. Alright try for plan two, I walked my way up the stairs with a cup of coffee and a bowl of fruit. nothing too heavy seeing as she is just going to wake up.

Walking in through the open doorway. I was met with a beautiful moment, or whatever you want to call it. Y/n was curled up into my pillow tightly hugging it, the blinds that had been left open the night before for the moon's bright beam to cast in were instead the bright sun casting in. It cascaded over her face, down her arms, beaming down slightly onto the skin on her leg.

I quietly set down her cup of coffee and the bowl of fruit grabbing my phone from the back pocket of my flannel pants. Snapping one or two or maybe five pictures of her. In moments like this, a picture is really worth a thousand words.

Throwing my phone back into my back pocket. I walked over to Y/n quietly and gently tried shaking her awake. "My love wakes up," I spoke gently in her forehead kissing it a few times. "My love it Christmas" She didn't budge her grasp on my fluffy pillow only tightening.

"My love I have coffee for you, and I made breakfast." I tried saying a bit louder and more clear. She moved eventually after I spent ten minutes of my morning caressing her arms, her forehead, and brushing through her hair with my hands.

"My dear, it almost nine in the morning," I said pushing the coffee closer to her on the side table in our bedroom. She moaned and groaned as she shifted and was just barely awake. "Good Morning my love," I said gently as I didn't want to bombard Y/n with too much in the morning.

She stretched and reached towards me. "Mornin' Sammy!" Y/n said. I moved out of her way, she swang her legs over the edge of our bed and set her feet into the slippers.

"Coffee?" I asked her, she hummed in response and took the hot cup out of my hands. Y/n hair was wrapped in these odd color things, but according to Y/n, it was to curl her hair in her sleep especially when her hair was wet.

The odd things that women did for their beauty routines. She sipped at the coffee, her head resting on my shoulder. "It snowed last night baby," I spoke as she got up and walked towards the window.

I could write you a dictionary size book of things that I love about Y/n, and that right there, this moment was another I'd have to add to that book.

Nine am. Y/n in the shower, after finishing her coffee and bringing her hidden gifts out and doing the same as I. I worked on dinner ham, muffins for the hell of it. Things I knew that Y/n had fallen in love with when we visited my parents, and of course there were meals that I wanted to desperately try that we had in Utah with Y/ns family.

Ten am. Y/n was done with her shower and currently finishing up her makeup. I slipped upstairs noticing cozy outfits laid out on our now made bed. One for her and me. I made my way into the bathroom, Y/n wrapped in her towel and applying a bit of everything that was laid out against the shared sink space.

I came in and wrapped my hands around her waist. She leaned her head into my shoulder as I kissed her jawbone and her neck. Whispering into her ear, "Merry Christmas, baby." I said unclasping her from my grip, stripping off my pants and tank top.

The hot water ran down my back as I remembered that today I'm asking Y/n the forever question. Last Christmas I had even asked her father for the mission to marry his daughter. Even if he said no, I'm pretty sure his wife would have smacked him and told me 'yes you may, honey'.

Eleven am. I was finished with my shower, Y/n was done with her light makeup. We were both wearing our matching outfits. We made our way downstairs, y/n slipped her phone from her hand and into mine. "Let's take a few pictures, I want to send a few to our parents, and of course Dean," Y/n said as she began to smile awaiting for me to raise the phone in my hands, and up above us.

She never needed makeup, and I made sure to tell her of that every day, or at least every time I saw her with makeup on. "You look beautiful baby, but you don't need the makeup, because I love you just the way you are. And you, you as your wholesome self in more than enough for me." I said as we looked through the pictures.

Y/n started sending off pictures to people, the cute ones were sent to our parents, the one where we were kissing she posted on one of her social media accounts. The last few ones when we made funny faces she sent to Dean.

If I ever lost her, I think I'd lose my mind. Absolute go crazy, not saying she keeps me from going crazy, she's just the love of my life, and I simply wouldn't know what to do with myself if she was suddenly gone.

Twelve pm. "Come on Sammy! Let's open gifts please!" Y/n says jumping all over the living room. I hummed and sat down on the couch. Y/n pulled a few of my gifts out and grabbed hers. Handing a few small ones and a few bigs ones.

Books, cooking books, a photo album, a few other silly little things, but she still had one box for me. "Here open these honey," I said handing her a few boxes that were wrapped in reindeer wrapping paper. She gushed over the paper and then tore into the gifts.

I too had grabbed her books, a few things from the craft store, and literally anything else she had hinted to during the year. A new necklace because the other was tarnished, a subscription to amazon prime because she has a tendency to buy a lot of things.

She smiled having a few tears in the cusp of her eyes. She rushed up from the floor and jumped into my lap, "Thank you, baby! So much!" I wrapped my hands around her waist to keep her in my lap. She was kissing up a storm on my face, missing either on purpose or accidentally my lips.

We stayed like this for a few moments. Just kissing each other, staying in the moment forever. The kissing wasn't harsh or teeth rode. It was sweet and slow, her lips against mine. Moments like this I memorized her shape and the way her lips tasted against mine.

She rested her head against my chest, and we stayed like this for a few, before she got up and noticed that we both two boxes left. "What do you think we can open them up at the same time?!" So we did, opening them and holding the cute jumpers up in the air at the same time. I could barely see Y/ns eyes over the jumper, then noticed something very cute, and funny.

"Y/n, sweetheart?" I asked she hummed in response. "did.. we got the same gift for each other I think." I said finally I could see Y/n's eyes. She gasped and then giggled. There are other things I'd add to that dictionary, or the book, or whatever.

She giggled and got up running towards the bathroom. "I'm going to go try this on Sammy!"She screamed as she slipped down our hardwood floor and into the bathroom. I went and found the box, the box that had the simple ring it, a set of three diamonds on a gold band.

I heard the clasp of the door open, and then Y/n started talking, on one knee I stayed until Y/n noticed I wasn't answering her back. She looked down at me, then at my hands. Back the jumpers that I was also wearing, "You look cute in your jumper love, so I have a whole speech planned out here. I.. umm... I have spent a large portion of my life loving you from afar, then I got you and I could love you up close you are mine, but I want to be able to wake up next to you forever, I want to continue to make you giggle and laugh, smile at the little things I say to you. I so desperately want to be the father of your kids, have more Christmas like this, so I guess what I'm asking you is simple. Will you Y/n L/n marry me?" I asked her.

No moments of silence she was down on the floor with me, kissing my face repeating 'yes' over and over again. "A hundred times yes, thousand times yes. God, I love you, Winchester. "She said as I slipped the three stones onto her finger.

We kissed again but this just felt different, maybe it was because she wasn't just a girlfriend anymore she is the rest of my life, she's my forever. She is my Mrs. Winchester.

We broke from our kiss, she grabbed her phone and took a picture of course of her hand and then one of us again for the second time. Sending it off yet again. She was happy, and that's all I have ever wanted for her.

Completed on: 05/28/2021

Posted on: 05/28/2021

[stargaze-issei]

ᴅᴀʏ 𝟷𝟼; ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ

-> shimizu kiyoko.

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭; kiyoko evokes memories of her lost love.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬; mentions of death, grieving.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭; 1.4k

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞; angst.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; yeah u should listen to mr loverman by rick montgomery bc i wrote it while listening to that song 😃 yes i killed the reader what y'all gonna do bout it

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kiyoko couldn't remember a time withouth your bright smile in her days, scaring the gray clouds away. you would sit outside her house, right by her side, sharing laughs and secrets. kiyoko kept those memories lock inside her mind, as her most precious secret, and she would always do it, no matter how long it passed.

"kiyo look! i made a ring with a flower!" her eyes, hid behind a big pair of glasses, showed amazement. she didn't care that your hands were covered in dirt after playing on the garden for hours while she read, safely on a bench, following your every move. "give me your hand" you demanded, grabbing it by yourself without giving her time to react.

despite your usual energic being, like most eight years old, whenever you were around your friend, she felt like fine china. a sudden feeling of fear ran down her back, accompanied by a warmness in her belly. you took her ring finger, placing your newest work on it with more care than ever in your life, affraid you would hurt her. to you, and everyone actually, kiyoko was like a porcelain doll. her fair skin, her beautiful face, her sweet voice, confirmed your hypothesis. the first time you saw kiyoko in the playground, you had to ask your parent if she was a real girl, because you've never seen someone that pretty.

"o-only married couples share rings, y/n" she said quietly, going over your gift with her free hand. leaving aside her complain, she seemed to be delighted with it.

"then we'll get married, and i'll give you all the rings in the world!"

shimizu had those words inked on her brain for quite a while, even now ten years later, they would come back. she wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream anymore. her phone vibrated on her night table, showing a text from tanaka saying he was on his way there, with a sigh, she got up from her bed, thinking on making something to eat for her boyfriend. on days like that, she would prefer being alone, but she couldn't say no to him. he was good to her.

the girl walked down the hall which connected the living room with the dorms, looking at the walls, searching for you with her eyes. a smile formed on her lips when she saw the picture, you eternally kissing her cheek, grabbing onto her face, making her smile more brightly than ever in her life. she thanked her mom internally for taking that picture, after all, it was the only one you two had. her fingers reached your image, following your traces as if that way, she could actually feel your skin against her again. kiyoko always regretted not kissing you one more time, not holding you in her arms for a second longer.

"try to sleep, or you'll end up falling asleep in the middle of the race tomorrow" kiyoko smiled at your sleepy voice, she knew you were sleeping when she decided on calling you, despite knowing you wouldn't get mad, she still felt a little guilty for waking you in the middle of night.

"i can't sleep, i'm too nervous" it was your turn to smile, thinking on how cute she must've looked while talking. it was almost a routine, her anxiety appearing before an important competition. "can you talk to me, please?"

her wishes were granted, you started talking about the last show you watched, in a low, soft tone. you were aware kiyoko felt safe with you, safe enough to sleep with you, and how she found comfort on you. you still felt reluctlant to her only being able to sleep at the sound of your voice, but her kitten like snores came sooner than usual. you found yourself laying in bed, eyes closed, listening to her sounds, and a while later, you too fell in morpheous arms.

a knock on the door scared her memories away, leaving her on the verge of tears. she hurried to the bathroom, trying to wash off the hints of sadness in her face before letting ryunosuke in. he kissed her as a greeting, hugging her by the waist. kiyoko wanted to get away, like the act was disrespectful to your memory. she knew she was wrong though, you wouldn't want her sulking for the rest of her life, thinking of what could've been if life wasn't so damn awful.

"brought dinner" smiled her boyfriend, not realizing what was she going through. it itsn't his fault, kiyoko thought, he doesn't even know she existed.

they set the table for two, talked a little while eating and watched a movie. tanaka wasn't good at taking hints, but even him sensed there was something wrong. he excused himself at midnight, saying he needed something from his house for work tomorrow, maybe she needed some time alone. kiyoko was grateful, because she kept thinking she was cheating on you. so stupid, i can't cheat on someone who isn't here.

kiyoko laid in bed once again, hugging a pillow. it always happened around this time of the year, she should be used to it by now, according to her old therapist. except that she wasn't, not at all. you were always on her mind, but these days she just couldn't escape. it killed her to think about all the broken promises, the things left unsaid. you had plans together, so many plans. in middle school, she longed the day you would travel with each other, conquering the world by your side. she wanted to go back home and find you there, kiss you every night and every morning, have children with you and grow old together as you had done until that day, to know it would never be possible was enough to make her feel miserable.

she kept a box under her bed, almost empty, with the last few things she had of you. a shirt you wore to sleep, a rushed note saying how much you loved her and an old stuffed bear kiyoko won for you at a carnival. that was all she could find in her house of you after the incident, all she was allowed to keep. the first few months she couldn't even bring herself to look at your belongings, how was it possible that your whole existence was reduced to this? you were so much things to kiyoko, nowhere near what those stuff represented. you were love, you were happiness, you were freedom, you were all kiyoko wanted in life and you were ripped away from her.

at two a.m, she found herself once again awake, but she was well aware of the fact that you weren't there to save her anymore. what was she supposed to do when she needed you, more than ever? in a mess of tears, she went outside, headed for her car. the air was cold, hostile, like it was warning her to stay home. the mostly empty streets were perfect for her desperate speed, barely stopping at red lights. she made a road of twenty minutes in ten, a road she hadn't done in quite a while. nonetheless, she knew what she was looking for was still there. kiyoko ran out her car when she got there, crossed the gate, gaining a suspicious look from the guard. she walked towards you, knowing the way a little too well for someone who didn't visit in years.

your name read in the grave, and the remaining force she had in her legs was suddenly gone. tears drowned her sight, holding tightly to the ground beneath hear. sometimes, kiyoko questioned herself if you really existed, she lost all contact with your family after, not being able to see anyone who looked like you, but in that moment, all her supressed memories came back. your first kiss, a peck on the lips, so fast that it might've not even happened, only it did, and it was followed by deeper, better kisses, and eternal love declarations. the first time she held your hand, how flustered you got over her taking the initiative. falling asleep in your arms, you caressing her hair. you kissing her strech marks, promsing you loved her just as she was. the image of your happy self, bursting into cheerings everytime she won a race, filled with pride. all your picnics together, beach days, roadtrips, night snick outs.

everything was real, kiyoko was sure of it. your love for her was real, her love for you couldn't be stopped, not even by death. it hurt so bad, all she wanted to do was see you one more time, feel your warm body against hers. she needed you with her, and it was tearing her apart.

[rabbiteclair]

I read your recent Sagume/Eirin fic and it got me thinking about Eirin. I see her as... wholly without principles. She does impossible things mostly to prove that she can, to both the world and herself. She takes on the problems of others as challenges to her intellect. I mean, she betrayed the moon with Kaguya, but didn't she just recreate the same stasis of the moon in Eientei? I also felt that she respected Sagume for what she did in LoLK, even if that involved trying to kill her. Thoughts?

Eirin is a fun one to have this conversation about, because even though she’s been involved in some big stuff, she’s pretty much never a main character, so we just kinda have to infer everything.

We don’t have a lot of clues to work with about her life before Eientei opened to the outside world, but I feel like what we do have make it clear that she wasn’t a very good person. There’s some disagreement between her IN profile and most other sources, but if you go by the former, she and Kaguya straight-up murdered the emissaries that came down with her. And according to the Toyohime’s CiLR chapter, Eirin’s Plan A for a human seeing the lunar capital, even without knowing what he was looking at, was, “Well, why don’t we just have him killed?” … and Eirin’s chapter makes it clear that when Reisen showed up at Eientei, Eirin was prepared to kill her if she tried to turn them in. Mostly what I’m taking away from this is that Eirin barely even needed an excuse to kill people in the old days.

More recently… I dunno if I’d call her a good person, but I think she’s rebounded some. SSiB practically opens with Eirin announcing that she thinks the moon is on the wrong path.

(I hope that Eirin recognizes the irony of her calling people arrogant, though.)

The Reisen thing is a bit of a contrast with (sigh) Rei’sen in SSiB/CiLR. Eirin’s suspicious of her, but she handles this by telling everybody to be careful what they say to her, not beelining straight for ‘welp, guess she’s gotta die.’ In SSiB chapter 2, she does point out that she could get away with killing Rei’sen if she wanted, but mostly just to convince her that she has no reason to lie.

Her actions in SSiB seem to be almost entirely empty of any real concern for the moon, really. She wants to clear her name and avoid a new manhunt. She wants to get the Watatsukis off the hook, and do it in a way that proves she trained her successors so well that they can outsmart Yukari with a few small hints. But as for the moon itself, she mentions not caring about what happens up there a couple of times.

According to PMiSS, her medical practice is pretty cheap, and if somebody doesn’t have money, she’ll shrug and treat them anyway. As Akyuu points out, this is almost so kind as to be suspicious, so there are basically a few options:

She legitimately likes helping people.

She’s trying to get on the good side of Gensokyo’s residents as insurance against future problems.

She just kinda needs something to keep herself interested, since there’s only so much for a super-genius to do in Eientei.

She’s partially using Gensokyo’s residents to test out new medications on.

I feel like #2 is almost definitely a motivation regardless, and probably #3, too. 1 vs. 4… is entirely up to personal interpretation. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a little of all four, really.

… none of which gives us a 100% clear picture, but I feel like you can make a decent argument that while she still might not be a great person, she has some regrets and is mostly trying not to repeat her past sins. Overall, I’d put her motivations down to 1) like you said, doing difficult things just to assert her intelligence and prove that she can, and 2) helping out people that she cares about. Most of the apparent change in her attitudes is in how she interacts with everybody else. If you inconvenience her goals or her friends, Eirin still treats you like an obstacle, but good news! She’s no longer quite as eager to kill you for it.

She was apparently really eager to kill you in the old days, though, so this isn’t necessarily as reassuring as it could be.

… but that’s all morality stuff. As far as the whole stasis thing, yeah, that was mostly my own invention. Eirin has an offhand comment in CiLR that none of them would choose to go back to when Eientei’s history was frozen, but that’s about it. Between that and the fact that she doesn’t seem to be itching to return to the moon, I feel like you can build a case for it, but it’s a pretty weak case.

Alternative answer A: Eirin is still a bad person because there’s an entire two-chapter arc in SaBND about her lying to fairies to steal their booze, which is basically equivalent to stealing candy from babies.

Alternative answer B: 95% of Eirin’s appearances are in IN and Bougetsushou, and that’s right at the dividing line where I feel like the setting and characterizations started actually becoming coherent. (Games became coherent earlier, obviously.) So do whatever, as long as you make it internally consistent and interesting.